Wanna put my tender heart in a blender
by bob lemon
Summary: Kent's personal life is spent hidden from the rest of the troupe because Sain doesn't want anyone to know. Soon he will find that he should have held on to Kent while he was able. Slash: Kent.Sain
1. And so it begins

AN: please don't flame unless you read the story. All reviews welcome. The more reviews, the faster the update. This won't be more than three or four chapters, by the way, and I should get it all up pretty fast. I don't own Fire Emblem by the way. Just obsessive addicted.

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It had never really been a big deal to them. Being together was as essential as eating or sleeping. There had always just been a part of their lives that simply belong to the other. It had sort of evolved along the way, never really becoming distinct to them. Until they had joined Lyn in searching for her father, that is.

The incident that had started it had been simple enough. When Kent and Sain had first begun training as knights, they were all each other had for a while. When a severe thunderstorm had upset the camp during their second year of training, Sain had requested Kent's presence in his bed. He wasn't scared, or anything… He just felt this was a unique opportunity for the two boys to know each other better. Ever since then, the boys had moved their beds together and would often spend their nights talking about nothing, and everything. In certain situations, these sessions would include bodily contact, and as time passed them became closer physically. Nothing more happened, though, past sleeping in each others arms. It didn't seem strange or awkward at the time, and as their relationship matured neither of the knights really understood what was happening to them.

When Lyn had come, though, and they finally had left their home, they were unsure how to act. Each wanted desperately to fit in, to be normal, while still being connected so intimately with the other. In the end, it simply turned into a secret life, deceiving others while still not. The deception began with Lyn.

"What is this figure of beauty that stands before me?" Sain approached the blue haired woman. He really had never meant anything to come of it, other than a façade to imply he was a normal knight. Which he was, obviously.

She turned to look at him, raising her eyebrow. Apparently she had never been complimented in such a way. Kent watched the situation, jealously rearing up as it usually did when Sain met another one of his women, but his face remained unchanged. Maybe their relationship was friendly and nothing more, like the red-haired knight had always feared.

"Excuse me-" Kent stepped in before the blue haired beauty could do anything to his friend.

"Pardon my friend, fair lady. He has a fetish that he cannot keep under control," Kent smiled while Sain glared at him, but Lyn seemed to like the red head better.

They had a short conversation that consisted of Sain volunteering them for an adventure, and Lyn telling the two knights of her father's search for her. They took a short trip back to the knight's quarters so that the two boys could get their miniscule belongings, and took off immediately. They didn't speak much, and Lyn seemed to travel as far from Sain as she possibly could, which drove him into a pouty mood.

"At the moment, I only have one tent," Lyn began, a few minutes later. The troupe had just left the town's borders, when they finally realized that the only supplies they had where what they had carried before they left. It wasn't like they were out of the reach of all civilization and they had plenty of food, but it would be a good twenty miles until the next merchant, and the sun was ready to set.

"We should have waited the night out back at the castle…" Sain suggested. , when they had finally found a clearing off the well trod road to camp for the night. It was rather small, and the dirt was moist to say the least. On top of that, Lyn insisted that they all should sleep in the tent together.

"We could not do that, milady… The tent is yours. Sain and I will sleep out here on the ground," he motioned to a space in front of the small fire his friend was beginning to start. She shook his her head in disbelief.

"There is enough room in this tent for all three of us! You two should not have to suffer here on the ground. It could rain, or a beast could come- so many dangers…" She argued while unpacking the bag Kent had carried on his saddle.

Sain stood up and smiled leeringly at Lyn and said in a low voice "I wouldn't mind sharing a tent with her, Kent. Just give it up."

Lyn's eyes opened quickly, and she gave Sain a horrified look. "Fine. Sleep out here," she choked, turning back to the tent she had just wiggled out of dirt covered sack. Kent smiled sadly, trying not to show his emotions and went to help Lyn set up the tent.

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"What's the matter?" Kent looked up from his soup when Sain asked his question. He raised his eyebrow and looked at his friend with a confused look on his face.

"Nothing. Is something wrong with you?" His attempt to dodge the subject was rather pathetic.

"Kent, I think I would know if something was wrong. Tell me."

"Nothing. I'm fine. Really," Kent said, trying to give his friend a convincing look. Sain shook his head and went to his pack to get his sleeping gear. He prepared his bed in silence, not looking at Kent, but with a disgruntled look on his face. The red-haired boy finished his soup quickly and rinsed his bowl out before diving into his pack.

Sain had set his blankets up across the fire from where the other boy was eating his dinner. Kent wasn't sure whether he should set his bed up beside him or not. He had obviously made a point of not sitting by Kent at dinner, and now he felt about the same. In the end, Kent had set up his sleeping pack opposite Sain, but closer than where he had been sitting. He laid down before Sain had finished setting up, and turned over to fake sleep. Kent laid that way for a few minutes, almost half an hour actually, and he was right on the verge of sleep when Sain snuck over to lay down by him.

Kent's eyes opened slowly, and turned over to where Sain was beginning to replace his things. Their eyes met for a moment, the only things really glowing in the faint firelight, and Kent scooted over to where the second bed was placed. Sain threw himself back onto to ground, as close to Kent as he could be with the layer of covers between then. Each stared at the other's face a few seconds before Kent threw his blankets back and laid exposed while Sain quickly crawled in beside him.

The brunette wrapped his arms around Kent's torso and pressed his head against the other knight's neck. Kent returned the embrace, pulling his blankets back over the two and also pulling Sain's blanket close. Sighing, he tilted his head down into Sain's hair and ran his fingers through the short hairs at the bottom of the brunette's neck. Sain's eyes raised up to look at Kent's face. The proximity and the longing he had felt all day pushed him to take a risk, and he reached up to place his lips on Kent's. He pulled away quickly, feeling blood rush to his face. He covered up his blush in Kent's chest, and the other boy smiled widely, the first time that day.

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Sain was the first to wake up the next morning. He woke up far before sunrise, just when the sky became blue instead of black, because he couldn't sleep. Sain laid with Kent a little longer before climbing out of their sleeping cocoon, afraid of being discovered by Lyn. He wasn't sure about her sleeping habits or what time she usually woke up and he definitely didn't want to take any chances on her finding them…together.

Sain first spent his time watching his friend sleep, wondering what he was dreaming about, but he quickly began getting paranoid again and decided to start another fire and cook breakfast. First, he trekked into the surrounding forest to find wood for the fire, and by the time he got back Kent was awake and replacing his armor. He looked up as Sain reentered the clearing, but no words where exchanged. Nothing had happened the previous night.

While Sain started the fire, Kent pulled out the leftover soup and three biscuits from underneath the food packet, placing them near the fire. Finally, when the sky was the color of the ocean, Lyn immerged from her tent. She seemed remotely surprised the two knights had already started breakfast, but accepted the bowl Kent shoved in her hands with a light air. They ate in the same silence that had accompanied the group the previous day, and packed up all their things and where ready to head off before the sun had broken the horizon.

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Please review now! Also, to be continued.


	2. Things are paid for

Woo! for chapter two! Thank you for the reviews, and the same thing is true with the next chapter. The more reviews I get the faster it'll be up. I tend to let a story go after a little while because I don't think people like it, so show me you do. I take constructive comments, but not pointless flames. Also, I don't own Fire Emblem. Thank you, and enjoy!

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Their sleeping area was left in the same shape they had arrived in, minus a little scuffed grass. The horses has slept at the edge of the clearing, and in order to cover more ground, Lyn suggested she share a horse with Kent. The red-haired boy agreed immediately, but Sain complained that she didn't ride with him. Kent felt a little hurt at that comment, but he had to admit that he was getting used to it; rather quickly getting used to it, actually.

Lyn tried to remain calm, but, as she disclosed later, this was her first time on a horse. She clung to Kent's sleeve, which was peeking out from under his armor, and tried not to let Sain see her distress. Lyn would never live it down if he discovered something else to harass her with, but Kent was a different story. He was a gentleman.

They tried to ride at a fast pace. According to the map Lyn had acquired the previous morning, they could make it to the merchant and then to a town if they rode all day and didn't waste too much time.

"Ah, yes. It'll be good to sleep in a bed after sleeping on the ground…"

"Sain, it's been one day. One night even. You shouldn't be complaining already."

"Wouldn't you rather sleep in a bed than on the hard ground, Kent? Besides, it was a little chilly last night."

Kent's head flew around to look at his friend riding beside him. What that supposed to be implying something? He raised his eyebrow and frowned. Sain didn't return the look.

The sun quickly grew in the sky and it began pounding down on the riders, making Kent sweat from Lyn's body heat as well as his heavy armor. What he wouldn't give for a cool stream of water or a few rain clouds… They had placed to be, though. No time for frivolous things like that. At least he was not in Lyn's position, having never been on a horse. And at least he didn't act like Sain, throwing himself over any woman he saw. Kent moved his head slightly and glanced at his partner who had continued to ride adjacent with him.

Sain was looking their way, but Kent was unable to tell whether he was looking at Lyn or at himself. He thought their gazes met for a second, but he turned forward again before he was sure. If it hadn't been so hot, he may have blushed, but the weather made up for it easily.

Lyn, tired of the odd silence, struck up a conversation from her position behind him.

"Well, Kent. How are you doing?" she inquired, lost as to what else she should say.

"A bit warm, but nothing more. Yourself? How's your ride been so far?" Kent rolled his shoulder uncomfortably, turning his head slightly again so Lyn could hear his reply.

"Awkward, but rather enjoyable," she smiled girlishly, but only Sain saw. He watched the couple lazily, unwilling to join in the conversation. Listening was just fine with him.

"Glad to hear that, Milady. It's rather nice weather for traveling, though it could be a bit cooler for my tastes," Kent continued. Their conversation on the weather was far too long and boring for Sain, and they had reached the merchant before it had faded. Their pace had been rather good, and Kent tried to convince Lyn that they could make it to the town before sunset.

The place they meant to purchase supplies, was really a small town. Not even that, actually, It was the traveling shop they had expected, but it had become unmovable and three houses that had been built haphazardly off to the side. There was also a small field that included a garden behind two of the adjacent houses, and in them where a few figures in the distance. It seemed like a trustworthy place, but Lyn had come to be very paranoid about strangers. Because of this, she now insisted that Kent, her new favorite person, did all the talking for them. Sain watched on with curiosity, but he thought it was better if Kent handled it, being as there was no young women involved.

"Hello, sir."

"Good afternoon, gentleman. What beauty is this that travels with you?" Lyn almost smacked the merchant, but Sain was keeping tabs and used her outburst as an excuse to fling his arm around her shoulders.

"We are in dire need of some supplies," Kent said, changing the subject. The shopkeeper gave the red head his full attention. "Do you have any tents?"

"Yes. How many?"

"Just one, actually. How about some Vulneraries?"

"I've got plenty of those, too."

"Do you have a frying pan?" At this, Sain raised his eyebrow.

"Er- I have one, but the price will be steep…"

"We'll take it. Now, how about some sleeping powder?"

The merchant stared at him with a blank look on his face, but Sain spoke up before the old man could.

"What on earth do with need sleeping powder for?" Kent turned around and spotted Sain with his arm around Lyn. He looked at both of them and then gave Sain a half dirty look.

"So you won't snore, of course."

Sain's mouth flew open and he gave Kent a surprised look at the insult.

"I don't snore!" He started towards his friend, this time Lyn stopping him, looking rather worried. The seller interrupted them.

"I'm sorry sir, but I don't carry things as refined as that," he looked worried. Kent turned back to him and gave him a level look.

"Fine. That will be all then. Please hurry, if you can. We are trying to make it to the next Inn as soon as possible." The merchant disappeared further into the wagon, but his voice could still be heard.

"Not a problem, sir. As a matter of fact, I have them all right here, and you won't have to worry about making it to that Inn tonight. It's only just over those hills over there. Best Inn in the surrounding area, and most people are pretty friendly over there… Sometimes I go over there to trade with the Innkeeper and he lets me stay the night so I don't have to come home so late, you know?" He mumbled a few more lines before a clanking took over the noise. He resurfaced a few seconds later, carrying three brown bags a quite larger one with straps.

Kent motioned for Sain to grab the bags, which he did begrudgingly, and Lyn came forward with the sack of gold she was carrying. Pulling out a few coins and handing them over, the merchant smiled at her, though she was short one. He didn't say anything, and Lyn smiled shyly, backing up to stand next to Kent.

"Maybe we will meet again some day…" the shopkeeper began, but Kent cut him off with a wave. He pulled the other two back to their horses and packed the new supplies onto Sain's horse.

"Well, that was fun…" the brunette said with a yawn, watching Kent tie the strings together. Kent shook his head, and turned back to his own horse. Lyn was already waiting to get back on, as eager as Sain to get to the village and permanently off of Kent's horse.

The man walked back to his horse and got on mechanically, thoughts returning to the problem at hand. For most of the trip he had been thinking about it, even though he was having a conversation with Lyn. He tended to do that a lot; work mechanically.

His companion stepped over and helped Lyn up behind him, to her distaste, but it was the only possibly solution as Kent couldn't do much already mounted. Sain smiled and winked at her and then caught Kent's gaze. He smiled at the red head too, but left out the wink. Kent felt jealous, but, once again, didn't show it and kicked his steed rather forcefully.

Sain had been back to his psuedo self, as Kent liked to call it. Or maybe that was his real friend shining through and all their nights had just been a lie? So many possibilities, each more confusing than the next. Maybe Sain really had felt sorry for him, and only did things like that because of duty. That thought angered Kent. At least that bastard should tell him if he didn't like being… close to him? They really hadn't done anything past that kiss last night, except act like it hadn't happened. Kent closed his eyes and sighed.

They where not even five minutes into the journey to the mountains, which were more like hills, when Kent switched his line of thought. Maybe he should just give up. Lyn apparently liked him, and though there would be so problems with her being from the royal bloodline and all, it could work. She was pretty, and they would have a lot of kids, probably, except that's not what he really wanted. Kent knew that if his relationship with Sain didn't change, that he would end up in a situation similar to the one with Lyn, and that's one thing that he had never liked the thought of. Maybe he could find another man… That seemed much more appealing than any woman would be.

Lyn's voice struck through his thoughts, shocking some of his brain back to reality.

"… he was rather nice to us." Apparently she was speaking with Sain about the merchant, which shouldn't have surprised Kent, but any conversation Sain was having with a woman usually revolved around something sexual. He continued to listen instead of contributing, until Lyn forced him in.

"Kent, I think that you may have been right about getting to the Inn before sunset. That merchant said that the town is just over those mountains," she said and pointed in front of them, clinging harder with her one hand.

"It shouldn't take more than an hour to reach the base of those hills, but it'll be hard going for our horses." Kent's predictions where usually right, and now that the shopkeeper had seconded his opinion, Lyn probably wouldn't doubt what he said in the future. It still seemed like a long time to spend on a horse to her, but that was much less than what she was expecting. She smiled and began to hum a song that was unfamiliar to Kent. Sain looked over at her immediately and smiled widely.

"What beautiful music, Milady. Pray, tell, do you sing?" He said in an enthusiastic voice. She immediately stopped and Kent could feel her head pushing against his back. Maybe that was a touchy subject for her or something…

"Lyn?" Kent asked quietly, the casual name sounded wrong on his tongue. He shouldn't treat her with such disrespect. Kent decided to change that in the future.

"I… I don't like singing in front of people…" she responded the Kent's comment shyly.

"Oh come on. Just us. We won't make fun of you or anything. Wouldn't dream of it!" Sain said happily, still smiling at the couple on the horse across from him. Evidently Lyn shook her head, because Sain tried convincing her again.

"Kent, you ask her! She'll listen to you!"

"Sain, if she doesn't want to sing she doesn't have to. Leave it alone." Kent glared at his companion. The brunette turned back ahead and pouted, not looking at either of them. They were silent for a short span of minutes, but Sain didn't have the personality to stay chronically mad at someone, especially his best friend.

"Please Kent?" He tried again, this time a pleading tone in his voice and big eyes like a doe.

The flame haired knight sighed. He, too, could not stay mad at Sain. Maybe that's why they were still keeping so much secret from Lyn.

"Lyn, will you please sing for us?" Kent could hear his blue haired companion sigh and lean further into his back.

"Any requests?" The knight looked over to Sain, expecting him to have one being as this was his idea, but he was shocked to find his friend staring at them with sad eyes. He still had a smile on his face, but they were close enough that Kent could tell he was slightly upset.

"Do you know 'The Inn Keeper's Daughter'?" He said, hiding the emotion in his voice.

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	3. Time at the Inn

The town was not remarkable in any way. There were several houses, a big cross section of wall, and one Inn. Lyn had also heard there were some shops, but she didn't want to take the time to look for them as they had just bought their supplies earlier that afternoon from a friendly merchant. She sighed and smiled into Kent's back as the small group approached the closest stone building with a worn, but repainted, sign.

There weren't many people on the street, but it seemed the reason was obvious to Lyn. Bandits, probably, or there could be other villainous creatures lurking around the area. It was a good thing they came then, if the villagers could not take care of the problem themselves. Maybe there was a reason that they had come, more than their simple mission.

Grass was not plentiful in the area, contrasting the hills they had just came from, but there were more small gardens surrounding the visible houses, including flowers as well as vegetables. Everything was in its place, and a place for everything that needed to be there. The town seemed so… sterile, especially with the ten foot walls dividing the town into four equal pieces. Why should there be a wall at all? She sighed. It didn't really matter. They were practically in their beds, ready to spend a comfy night off the ground. Although last night had been the first for Kent and Sain to sleep outside she slept in a bed since she left home, and she was looking forward to it.

A man came out of the front of the gray building as the two horses approached. He was dressed in a plain, clean shirt and smiled up at them. As they stopped, he stepped up to meet them and held his hand out for Lyn to take, which she did after an elbowing from Kent. The merchant then proceeded to help the lady off, and to regain her balance after the bouncing ride.

"Thank you, sir," she said politely, manners not leaving her in this awkward position. Sain had already dismounted and approached the small cluster of people as the man released Lyn's hand. They waited a few seconds for Kent to join them before speaking.

"You are visitors?" He asked, still smiling. He looked at Lyn who nodded in response to his question, though the answer was obvious.

"We are looking for a place to stay tonight, actually. Do you own this Inn?" Sain asked, coming forward after Lyn remained silent. She seemed rather shy towards this man and very unwilling to speak with him.

"Yes, and I must say I am happy to see you. I've had to put up with those local good-for-nothings for the past month. It's nice to see some new faces," he winked at Lyn, who immediately turned away, towards Kent, unable to fabricate a coherent verbal insult for the man. Finally the seller turned to the two men, neither of which looked very happy. That was unusual for Sain, because he was rather easygoing, but Kent always had a grimace on his face.

The Innkeeper smiled uneasily and turned to lead them to the Inn. Once at the door, he motioned for a boy sitting beside the counter on a stool to get the horses that were still held by the two knights. Lyn was standing behind them, hidden by the animal's rump. The boy quickly relieved the knights, who finally walked into the Inn and watched the keeper step behind a tall wooden counter.

"How many rooms will you need?" The innkeeper asked, pulling out a book that was half blank. He wrote something down quickly before meeting Kent's gaze. He was standing in front of the other two, directly facing the man, and obviously taking charge of this situation.

The inside of the Inn was actually more pleasant than the group thought it would be, and the common room was full of the people that did look questionable, but Lyn wasn't worried because she was flanked by her companions. She was sure this village was just under a little trouble and nothing more, which would explain why there were so many people at this location. Lyn withdrew her gaze from the tables and turned her eyes to Kent. Instead of responding to the innkeeper, he turned back to her with a questioning gaze.

"How much money do we have left?" Kent made a point to keep his voice so low that Sain could not even hear them. The said knight moved closer, feeling left out of an important decision and slightly jealous of being left out.

"What?" he cut in immediately.

"Enough, I think. We spent quite a bit at the last town, but we should be able to purchase three rooms for one night…" Lyn's look was uneasy, and she didn't sound sure of herself at all.

Kent turned back to the Inn owner without replying to Lyn's comment. He knew they didn't have much and that this was a very frivolous activity, but he had a solution that would make them both happy.

"Give us two rooms, sir," he said. Lyn turned to him, ready to say something about it and the Keeper raised an eyebrow at them. It was obvious they had three people.

"There is only one bed per room…" he responded uneasily. The storekeeper wasn't going to lose that extra money with no effort. He shifted from his left foot to his right and back again before the brunette replied.

Sain had to control himself from smiling too wide.

"No problem! Kent and I are boon companions-used to sleeping in the same bed!" The knight clapped Kent on the back, not too hard, but enough to make a hollow 'pah' sound. Lyn scoffed at the cliché line that the knight used so often.

Kent turned back to the Innkeeper and looked at him expectantly, ignoring Sain's hand on his shoulder. The plump man gulped and complied with his stare, apparently not too eager to start a fight and lose his first customers in weeks, even if he was cheated a little bit of money. Slowly, the Innkeeper was beginning to think arguing wasn't worth it.

With a deflated look, he finally grabbed two keys from behind the counter and started down a hallway hidden off in a far corner.The Innkeeperdidn't bother to turn around to make sure the troupe was following him, and he didn't want to. The place they were headed was as plain as the rest of the building, but it looked a little more used than the stairs behind the counter.

Next to it was another hall that was shorter andvibrated sounds of pans and sweet smells of home cooking from a ways off. As they passed by, Kent had to pull Sain from walking that way, instead of to their rooms.

"You'll have plenty of food in a few moments," he said roughly, though he knew Sain was probably looking for something more… curvy, than a loaf of bread. The knight turned sharply to look at his friend, staring at him with a sort of hurt-confused look. His eyes loitered for a few more seconds, until they turned around a corner and faced about twenty doors down the next hallway. The keeper walked past the first few doors and finally stopped halfway down the hall. Halting at a door that simple said 'six,' he turned back to the pair of knights and handed over their key. After Kent accepted and looked towards Lyn, the man handed a replica to her as well.

"Your room is right next door," he sighed, pointing to 'seven.' Lyn looked towards the door and Kent could almost hear her gulp. She didn't want to share a room with the men, but she didn't want to stay by herself; her feelings were rather obvious.

But, then again, there wasn't really anything he could do about it. He wanted to share a bed with Sain and if they had all slept in the same room they wouldn't be able to do… anything. Not that anything _would_ happen, though. Kent still had suspicions that Sain was mad at him or something. But he seemed to be acting happy as usual, possibly even more.

Lyn approached her door and turned the key in the lock. It clicked open unsurprisingly and she pushed it open without stepping in. She gave it a blank look while both of the menwatched her and sighed deeply like she was about to face the monster from hell. Lyn looked back at them and they both turned away quickly, not wanting to be caught watching her in such a way. Kent shoved his key into the keyhole in a similar fashion and threw the door forward, walking in.

"I'll go fetch our things from the stables," Sain volunteered, looking at Kent. His friend nodded and turned to Lyn would smiled a little.

"Thank you, Sain."

"Of course!" He gave her a winning smile and leaned forward in an unconscious bow. "I'll only be a moment," Sain promised and continued the way they had just come, following the retreating Innkeeper. Lyn watched them leave, and then turned to Kent, now that they were finally alone.

But he was still watching where Sain had just left.


	4. Bedroom Blues

"Thank you," Lyn said again as Sain entered her room, returned from the stables. He handed her the brown bag that she had been carrying her personal items in for the past week. She set it down on her bed quickly and turned back to the knight standing in the doorway. Sain still had another bag slung over his shoulder, either his or Kent's it seemed, but he was simply staring at her. Only this look wasn't his usual womanizing leer.

Lyn shifted her gaze uncomfortably. "Shall we get something to eat before retreating to bed? The bread smells wonderful . . . "

Sain remained silent for a few seconds before nodding. He turned and exited through the door, leaving Lyn to herself. The knight continued to walk a few steps down the hall and into his shared room.

Kent looked up from his back on the bed as the brunette entered. Sain tried to force a smile, but he didn't succeed in producing anything more than a grimace. He closed the door slowly, turning away from his companion.

"Lyn suggested we go get some dinner, before we¼ go to bed," said the Knight making his way across the small room to place the bag down beside Kent.

"That sounds fine."

There was a moment of silence as Sain unloaded some of the bags contents, though both figured the action was unnecessary. Kent watched all his movements, still lying on the bed.

Suddenly Sain turned to Kent, an extremely serious look on his face. The redhead blinked, fully aware of his childhood friend's movements, especially paying attention what he was about to say.

"Kent-" he started, but he paused as if trying to find the right words, or make the statement less startling.

"Sain-" the other knight returned, sitting up worriedly.

"Do you love Lyn?" he asked, almost angrily. Kent's eyes shot wide open and he started at his friend in confusion.

"What? Why would you think that?" he said. He sounded hurt, but not angry.

"You've been flirting with her all day!" Sain accused, his voice becoming louder.

"If anything, you've been the one trying to get her!"

"'Why of course you can ride on my horse!' Pah!"

"As if I had a choice! If I hadn't let her ride with me she would have been stuck-" Kent was in the process of standing up from the bed to fight fairly with Sain, but before their argument could properly climax a steady knock was heard at the door.

"Are you ready for dinner?" Lyn asked, opening the door a crack. She had probably heard some of the yelling, because she didn't do anything more than that.

Sain sighed in frustration and clenched both of his hands at his sides.

"Yes, we're coming," Kent replied first, grabbing the key to their room. Sain followed slowly as he headed out the door.

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"Is everything all right with you two?" Lyn asked, rather awkwardly half-way through the soup. She looked from Kent to Sain, but neither of them said anything. She sighed and stared into the bottom of her wooden bowl.

"We're fine, Lyn," Kent finally put in, not looking at either of his companions. Sain scoffed, but said nothing.

Their silence remained until Lyn finished her bowl of soup and half a loaf of bread. Both men had begun on seconds, but the lady insisted that she would rather go to sleep and she would eat more in the morning. When Lyn left the table to retreat to her apartment she seemed annoyed, but neither of the knights really cared.

After that things became less awkward, but the knights still refused to speak to each other. The remnants of their earlier argument still lingering in the air, like a bad odor.

"Ma'am, could we have our total, please?" Kent asked the woman who had brought them the soup as she walked by. She stopped to look at him for a second, apparently trying to think of something.

"Boss said it was on the house, I think . . . Let me go check," she said.

As she turned back to the kitchens, the girl caught Sain's eye and smiled suggestively before leaving completely.

Apparently they had spoken earlier.

Kent sighed, almost in disappointment, and stood up quickly. He didn't even bother to wait for the server's reply before heading off down the hall. Sain glanced at him as he left, looking not only hurt, but confused. He turned to look at the girl, who had just walked back down the hallway next to Kent, and then back at his companion. Sain stood up and half ran to catch up with his sulking friend.

"I want you to know I had nothing to do with that-" he started, trying to defend himself as Kent reached the door. His eyebrows were furrowed and his mouth almost didn't move when he talked.

"With what?" he replied ignorantly. Kent didn't meet eyes with Sain as he threw the door open, probably with more force than was needed. He stalked into the room, the other man right on his tail.

"Kent, what is that matter with-" He tried to sound angry, but didn't want his companion to be mad at him more than he was.

"Why must you flirt with every girl that you meet, Sain? Do you ever think of whose heart you're breaking?" Kent paused for a second while the said knight stared at him in horror.

"How many girls have you left feeling used and dirty? How many one night meetings will it take for you to understand you can't do that to people?" Kent continued, almost yelling now. Sain was beginning to feel like crying. Of course, he wouldn't.

"You know me better than that-" he tried to cut in again, but Kent continued.

"If you would just take a minute to sit back and look at the situation-" he stated, sounding less resolved now. This gave Sain hope.

"If you wouldn't judge me without talking-"

"Well, if you didn't do the same stupid things over and over-"

"I wouldn't if _someone_ would-"

Sain was interrupted by something besides Kent's voice this time. A knock was coming from their door, which still wasn't closed. It was Lyn again.

"Not to interrupt, but . . . I can hear you rather well, so I would propose keeping your voices down and shutting the door." Her face didn't show any sort of emotion, annoyance or otherwise, but from the tone of her voice, the boys both felt that they should heed her advice. Sain gulped, and Kent started in on gentle apologies.

"I'm sorry, Milady . . . we were trying to work something out. We'll stop arguing, and . . ." he trailed off, looking at Sain. After a moment he nodded in agreement.

"I shall see you in the morning then, bright and early," she said, smiling slightly as she closed the door.

The restlessness that had hung over the knights all night returned immediately as they were left again. When their conversation didn't restart, they began to prepare for bed.

Sain tugged a rough blanket out of their saddle-pack while Kent pulled back the ones already covering the mattress back so they would be easier to use. Suddenly he was thinking that sharing a room had been a bad idea. Maybe he should have just splurged the money and spent the night away from Sain (the first time in several years).

The man shook his head, knowing that even if he knew they were going to fight, he would have made the same decision. Maybe it would be faster and easier to work out this way.

Kent busied himself doing something that he knew he didn't need to, waiting for Sain to get into the bed. In the few minutes it took for his friend to comply, Kent had pulled out all of his spare clothes from his pack, put them in an old dresser that was set up in the corner in the room, removed his armor (which took more time than anything), and cleaned his dust ridden boots off. He watched Sain out of the corner of his eye, pausing in his movements as his friend removed his own boots and armor.

When he had laid down, the brown-haired knight had tried to stay as close to the edge as he could. He didn't want to give in to Kent so soon. Because he hadn't won yet and Sain could hold out.

Kent took his place next to his friend shortly after, trying to hold the façade so Sain wouldn't suspect he was waiting, though he was sure the other man already knew. He was on the bed as far away from Sain as he possibly could, being as that was the way Sain had laid down. Eventually, he covered himself a little with the blankets, although it was far too warm for that, and let out a soft sigh that he barely heard himself. He was positive nothing would happen now that they had argued, and he was ready to take his own weapon to himself knowing they wouldn't have this opportunity for a while longer. Especially if Lyn was planning on inviting more people to join their group, as she had mentioned.

Both their backs faced inward, preventing either of them from glancing at the other. A few more speechless minutes pasted before Kent reached over to the counter and grabbed the last glowing candle. He licked his thumb and forefinger an snuffed out the flame, leaving them with almost no light.

The darkness drowned the two, trying to ease them closer together, but neither wanted to give it. Sain shifted his weight awkwardly, making his side of the bed bounce a little. Kent rotated his own self in response, which made an eerie creaking noise. He could fill the fatigue of the day setting in, but his mind was still as alert as it was at noon that day.

His body was urging him to surrender the argument to Sain and place his arms around him, but he couldn't give in yet. There was only one argument he could seriously think of that he had won over Sain.

But, as usually happened, Kent began to ponder it. This was what he wanted, to be in the same bed as his friend . . . but not like this. He wanted to be happy, wanted them to be happy. Wasn't his pride worth that? It wasn't as if it was that big of a decision, and his life wouldn't end because he let Sain win the argument again. In fact he wasn't sure that the argument would end any other way. Sain was always a pain to deal with and Kent was the level headed one that fixed everything. It was his job to mend the friendship . . . if only his friend would heed his advice once in a while.

Continuing that line of thought, he finally made up his mind and turned over.

There really wasn't as much room between the knights as Kent had thought, so he didn't have to move far to reach Sain. His fingers slid under the opposite man's arm and around his hips, applying pressure to his waist to bring him closer. Sain gave in to Kent's guidance and rotated onto his back so he was able to look at his comrade. His lips were just visible to the red head as they twisted up in a trademark smile. It still wasn't as bright as it usually was, though.

Kent pulled Sain as close as he could, embracing him awkwardly. The knight returned the motion.

Sain opened his mouth to say something, but ended up making a sort of cough. He cleared his throat, but Kent could tell he was trying to avoid his stare.

"Do you . . . are you sure you don't love Lyn?" he asked, sounded worried. Kent sighed and tried to meet Sain's gaze.

"No. I do not love her, Sain. She is a lovely person, but I do not love her as you mean. Are you happy now? Does that satisfy you?" Kent's voice wasn't annoyed or angry, as Sain had expected. In fact, he began to move his hand around Sain's back, rumpling his dirty shirt.

"Yes," he began to reply, "and no. What if there is another woman. One that you will love and leave me for?" Sain's arms slung around Kent's waist. He still refused to look up at the knight. "More charming and lovely than Lady Lyn . . ."

Kent looked away and responded quietly, "Only you are more charming than Lady Lyn."

Neither spoke. Sain was flattered, to say the least, but he knew in his mind that it was an inappropriate comment, and that even lying in the same bed like this was inappropriate. But he loved it.

The red headed knight, who was regretting the last comment he had made, cleared his throat to break the barrier of silence. Suddenly Sain grasped onto him harder, burying himself in the fabric of Kent's shirt. He mumbled something that the other knight couldn't quite make out.

"What?" he asked, pulling Sain back.

"Do you–I mean . . . do you have any interest in women at all?" He looked up rather hopefully.

Kent felt blood flow forward into his cheeks, leaving him with a blush. Sain couldn't see that, of course, because it was so dark, but he was embarrassed at the question anyway. The topic had never come up between him and anyone else at all. Never. Kent barely thought of it himself, knowing that he was taught everything but that. Find a woman, marry her, have children . . . that's what was supposed to happen. . . but Kent didn't want that. He was convinced, until after a few years of being Sain's friend, that he would end up alone, being a man servant for the royal family or possibly having a farm if he was lucky.

Sain's hands tightened their grip again and he looked away from his friend.

"I'm sorry–that was too personal a question . . ." he muttered in an ashamed voice. He had know before he even asked that it was a touchy subject.

"Sain," he paused for a moment, trying to think of proper words to use. "I have never found a woman worth investing my emotions in. So, I suppose the answer is 'no' then."

The brown haired boy looked up curiously, knowing that Kent would answer any question he could ask.

"Men, then? Are you attracted to men?" the giddiness was rising in him. He was excited that Kent would never really love Lyn, no matter what, and that it was possible that Kent liked him. There was still some hope!

It seemed that the other knight was stuck between a rock and a hard place. There was not a way he could keep everything from Sain and still leave his secrets intact.

He had never said it out loud before.

"Yes."

Sain smiled to himself and laid his head back down on Kent's chest. The knight seemed rather tense, but that was to be expected after such a confession.

"Promise you won't tell anyone?" he whispered, knowing the answer but wanting to reassure himself.

"Of course I won't!" Sain replied happily, trying to stifle a yawn.

Now that all that was solved and he had gotten an answer to the question that had plagued him for the last two month, the weariness from that day had set in. But Sain couldn't go to sleep! At the very least he wanted another kiss from Kent!

The said red head sighed and shifted a little bit on the bed.

"Go to sleep, Sain." It was more of a command that a suggestion.

"No! I don't want to yet!" he whined in response, clinging to Kent's loose shirt like it would give him more energy.

Then, on a whim, he slid one of his legs over the top of Kent's and pulled their bodies closer. Carefully, Sain positioned his face so it was parallel to his friends. He would get his kiss before the night was over.

The slight light reflecting off of Kent's eyes grew a little wider as the knight went in for the kill.

"Sain–what are you doing?" he whispered, pulling back only a fraction of an inch. He didn't want to pull his friend into his 'evil ways,' though they had kissed just last night. As his father had told him many times, those that didn't follow the rules were punished. He couldn't let Sain be punished.

But, he could never stand up to Sain for very long, either.

"Be quiet, Kent. Close your eyes." The red head took a deep breath and complied.

Sain moved forward again, closing his eyes just enough to make it a real kiss. Of course he had kissed many bar maids and ladies before, but somehow kissing Kent was different. Maybe it was just that he was another man.

His mouth was open slightly when he pressed it against Kent's, his special technique he liked to think, but he didn't get the reaction that he usually got from the maidens. Kent didn't swoon or gasp, but he pressed their lips together harder. This excited Sain, but also worried him; in sexual situations he definitely wasn't used to not being in charge.

Determined to make this last, he began to push himself up off the bed, and leaned more on Kent. Sain opened his mouth a little more and pushed harder. He felt his fellow knight's lips mimic his own and soon he was tasting the chapped skin on his tongue.

Then, out of nowhere, Sain felt Kent's hand on the back of his head, massaging his neck but keeping it in place at the same time. He was surprised, but took it as a sign to continue.

The next logical thing to do with his mouth was to open it further, which he did promptly, but Sain had to admit he hadn't gotten much farther than that with anyone else. Most of the girls he had kissed pulled away at this movement, which either forced them to stare at each other awkwardly or begin all over again. The knight never did figure out why¼ It must have been a girl thing, because Kent accepted him eagerly.

For a moment Sain thought he was going to yawn again, but he bypassed it with only a deep breath through his nostrils. He could feel his eyes close all the way, but his cognitive power was too great and prevented him from sinking deeper into the quicksand of sleep.

Not wanting to wait for Kent to take control again, Sain slipped his tongue out of his mouth just enough to poke the open crease between his partner's lips.

Finally, Kent decided to be polite and gasp.

It wasn't really even a gasp, though. It was more a quick intake of breath, like he had been surprised, though Sain was convinced it wasn't really too strange a move to make. Once again, the brown haired boy took this as a sign to continue.

The next thing that he had done with the single girl he had gotten this far with was to touch her breasts. There was a small twitch of sadness inside Sain for the lacking appendage, but he would rather have this man than a woman any day. It was like trying to pick up two watermelons at the same moment without dropping them.

He didn't want to tread off the path of experience now that he had come so far, so Sain shifted his weight to one hand and into his legs in order to place his hand on Kent's chest. Just then he realized how little they were wearing compared to the normal three layers plus armor.

His hand swept across the trim muscles slowly because he was having a hard time concentrating on both his mouth and his hand at the same time. Somehow he managed to continue over the muscle, but Sain ended up pausing when he felt something small poking up through the material, making a small tent of the dirty fabric. He rubbed down on it with his forefinger and was pleasantly surprised when Kent's body twitched the slightest bit.

By this point, Sain's tongue had made it most of the way into Kent's mouth, where it was having the time of it's life trying to catch the other one in it's slick grip. His body was beginning to warm up as well, though sluggishly. This was just about what he had dreamed up in his head during dinner, though it was more of what he was missing and not what he was getting, at that time.

Uh oh. Sain could feel his body birth what would surely end up being a yawn. He fought it, trying not to give in to his fatigue. Not after he had made so much progress with Kent! Surely the red head's lack of concentration would be broken and he would connect something in his mind that would mean they had to stop, which Sain didn't want to happen. He would be happy if they stayed this way all week.

But this yawn was more prominent than the last and it would not be satisfied with a deep intake of breath. Against all of the will of his mind, Sain's body disobeyed and his mouth stretched wider around Kent's lips. Sain squinted his eyes and withdrew his tongue halfway to get a proper yawn. Kent eyes snapped open and, following the prediction, he immediately pulled away.

"I–Sain–well . . ." he immediately tried to talk his way out of the situation, thinking about telling Sain to leave him, but in the end, couldn't come up with anything. Sain looked down at him, for somehow he had gotten fully on top of his friend, and tried his best pity eyes.

"Kent, I'm sorry! I'm not really that tired, I just can't-" The knight tried to suppress another yawn. The red head squeezed his shoulder and gave him an appraising look which left him speechless.

"Go to bed, Sain," he repeated in a voice that sounded defeated. He sighed in response and laid his head down right below Kent's, leaving his body in the same position it had moved to a few minutes ago.

He yawned one last time before closing his eyes for the day, unable to keep them open for another moment.

"G'night," Sain mumbled to Kent, who returned the phrase.


End file.
